GPS Tracking

GPS (Global Positioning System) vehicle tracking technology, long affiliated with military and law enforcement groups, businesses and families, is headed out in a different direction:  GPS tracking equipment is going to school and it’s riding the bus!

Promoting school bus safety efforts via the use of satellite technology has, in a number of ways, already proven to be advantageous in public schools across the country.

Some of the reasons are as standard as with any vehicle tracking decision:  reduction of fuel , operational and maintenance costs, efficiencies in route times and the minimizing of excessive idling, speeding and unsafe driving.  GPS tracking accurately determines the location of buses, whether they have stopped at all designated locations and for how long.  In the event of a breakdown, a nearby bus can be located within seconds and if buses do not reach their stops at regularly scheduled times, they are easily identified by this unit. 

School bus dangers are an apprehension for parents of children from pre-school up to high school and every level in between.  While no period in modern history has ever been deemed totally safe for kids, most would agree that there is more reason to be afraid today than in previous eras.  Six years ago in Pennsylvania, a bus packed with elementary school students went missing for five hours after being hijacked by a gunman.  The bus ended up 100 miles from its original location, and while driver and students were rescued unharmed, there lingered a scary reminder that this could all too easily happen again. 

With the aid of GPS tracking, however, school district officials have the ability to instantly locate their buses should a driver become lost, or worse case scenario, the bus is stolen or hijacked.  In the event of a delay or breakdown, help that would otherwise take hours to arrive, would take only minutes.

Don’t all school bus drivers follow basic safety precautions?

Because children are considered the most precious among cargo, it’s a mistaken assumption that school bus drivers follow the rules and are conscientious about safety precautions.  The reality is that school bus drivers speed, take shortcuts, drink coffee and talk on their cell phones while driving, in addition to turning around every five minutes to reprimand their young passengers.  Not all of them, of course, or even the majority, but all it takes is one lapse of judgment for an accident to occur.  As with other vehicles, GPS tracking software allows the viewer to observe, in real time, the driver’s speed, roads travelled upon and behind the wheel behavior, both positive and negative. 

Will GPS tracking devices become standard in all school buses?

While many school district officials have approved the installation of GPS tracking systems in their buses, this application is still relatively new to academia.  Interviews with bus drivers have revealed that they are less than receptive to the idea of being tracked, of making their rounds in the ubiquitous shadow of Big Brother.  And rather than weighing the long term cost effectiveness of GPS tracking , some school administrators balk at the initial cost of the system, and annual maintenance and renewal fees.  “There are increased property taxes and statewide budget cuts to local school districts to factor into consideration, “observed one Florida school board member.  “Maybe down the road, this system will more than pay for itself.  But the start-up funds have to come from somewhere.”

Parents, on the other hand, believe that the implementation of GPS tracking in school buses is long overdue.  Said one Columbus, Ohio mom:  “I’ve seen our drivers tearing down the street with a bus load of kindergarten kids!  And a lot of times, my daughter’s bus would be late and I’d be worried sick.  This is a good way to keep these people in line and protect our kids.”

Pages: 1 2

Tags: Bus, GPS Tracking, school bus

Related posts:

1. GPS Tracking Keeps Buses Moving, Commuters Happy Carefully set one foot into the street, look to the...
2. GPS Tracking Systems a Hard Sell with Unions Vehicle tracking of municipal and business vehicles is a legitimate...
3. GPS Tracking Systems used to Track Students As schools districts across the United States are becoming more...

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 11th, 2008 at 11:03 am and is filed under GPS Fleet Tracking, GPS Tracking, GPS Vehicle Tracking, Vehicle Tracking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.